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| Photo: DaimlerChrysler Background retouching and further preparation for the web by MBEP webmaster |
Mercedes-Benz CL 55 AMG is new Formula 1 Safety Car
· CL 55 AMG leading the Grand Prix field
· V8 engine from Mercedes-AMG with 265 kW/360
hp
...
Stuttgart /Affalterbach – When the first race of the new
Formula 1 season starts in Melbourne on March 12th, the Silver Arrows of
world champion Mika Häkkinen and team colleague David Coulthard will
be accompanied by another Mercedes-Benz performing a vital Grand Prix service:
the CL 55 AMG. This silver flagship coupe will in future be present at
all international Formula 1 races as the official Safety Car, which is
brought into action whenever the field is ”frozen” for a short period due
to rain or accidents. In these cases, the Safety Car takes up position
at the front of the field and leads the Formula 1 racing cars until the
race can be continued. In this role, the CL 55 AMG replaces the CLK 55
AMG, which has proved its capabilities as a Safety Car at the Grand Prix
races of the last few seasons and has also proved very popular with customers
as a road-going version.
Even when the Safety Car does take the head of the field
at a race, it certainly doesn’t mean crawling along. To ensure that the
high-tech engines of the sensitive Formula 1 racers do not overheat and
their tires do not overcool and thereby lose adhesion, the Safety Car as
lead car has to set a quick pace. On some tracks, that requirement means
speeds of up to 280 km/h. Strong sprinting capacity and a high top speed
are also necessary to ensure that the Safety Car can race to its required
position at the head of the Formula 1 field in as short a time as possible
in order to secure the track.
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| Both photos: DaimlerChrysler | Both: Backgr. ret. and further prep. for the web by MBEP webmaster |
Strong sprinter with race tuning
The Mercedes-Benz CL 55 AMG provides the optimal basis
for high-speed applications: its powerful 265 kW/360 hp V-8 engine accelerates
the majestic coupe effortlessly to 100 km/h in only 6 seconds and passes
the 1000 meter mark in only 25.4 seconds.
To enable the car to perform its special function on
Formula 1 tracks, the engineers at Mercedes-AMG have upgraded certain details
of the road version of the CL 55 AMG. For racing-quality braking, the Safety
Car has a racing car brake system with newly developed 8-piston fixed caliper
disc brakes and 380-millimeter brake discs at the front and 315-millimeter
discs at the rear. On the basis of long experience of racing, the specialists
in Affalterbach have set a much stiffer wheel damping characteristic and
have lowered the vehicle by about 15 millimeters, while widening the front
track by 20 millimeters and the rear track by 30 millimeters. The unique
ABC suspension fitted as standard minimizes both body roll during cornering
and diving movements when braking. At the front, the Mercedes AMG Safety
Car runs on wide size 255/40 tires fitted on 8.5 x 19-inch wheels. At the
rear, the car has size 285/35 tires on 9.5 x 19-inch wheels.
The special equipment for deployment on Grand Prix tracks
is completed by racing-design bucket seats with 4-point harness belts,
an interior design in sporty carbon instead of wood trim, and the lighting
system specified by the FIA with roof lights, together with the radio system
with camera and TV equipment.
The Mercedes-Benz CL 55 AMG is continuing in a tradition
and following in the tracks of the Mercedes-Benz CLK 55 AMG, which has
performed the function of Safety Car with flying colors for the last two
years – often out of sight of the millions of spectators. After all, the
Safety Car has to demonstrate its power and reliability even before each
Formula 1 race starts, since it is used for synchronizing the timers along
the track in punishing long drives at constant top speed.
In its operational service as Safety Car, the CL 55 AMG
will be driven by experienced racing driver Bernd Mayländer.
...
Active Body Control combines sporty character with
comfort
The active suspension system – known as Active Body Control
(ABC) – which the CL 55 AMG has adopted from the standard CL, represents
a milestone in the field of driving dynamics and ride comfort. This system
adjusts the damping of the car body within seconds to the current driving
situation by means of high-pressure hydraulics and a high-performance control
unit, thereby reducing body movements during drive-away, cornering and
braking.
...
End of DaimlerChrysler press text from March
6th 2000. Slightly revised by MBEP
webmaster.
Three points ... denote deleted text not dealing
with the F1 safety car.
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| Photo: DaimlerChrysler Background retouching and further preparation for the web by MBEP webmaster |
Last revised: March 7th 2000 Visits since March
7th 2000. |
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